A New Era in DNA Technology: AFDIL Begins Using SNP Testing in 2025

Operation 85 is proud to share encouraging news from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL): As of January 2025, AFDIL has officially implemented advanced Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) testing—marking a major leap forward in the identification of unknown military service members from conflicts like World War II, including the USS Arizona.

For families like yours and ours, this is more than a technical update—it’s a turning point in our long, determined journey to bring our loved ones home.

🔬 What’s Changing?

Historically, AFDIL and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) used a limited set of DNA tools to match remains to family members. These traditional methods—like mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and short tandem repeat (STR) testing—were useful but restricted the types of family members who could contribute viable DNA samples. That limitation created significant roadblocks to identifying the remains of long-lost service members, especially when immediate maternal relatives were no longer living.

Now, thanks to pressure from families, advocates, and organizations like Operation 85, AFDIL is using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) SNP capture—a method that opens up new possibilities for identifying remains using a much wider range of family connections.

👪 What This Means for Families

Under the old rules, only close maternal relatives (like a sister or niece on the mother’s side) were typically considered eligible to donate DNA. With SNP testing, more relatives—both maternal and paternal—can now contribute.

✅ Newly Eligible DNA Donors Include:

• Paternal nieces and nephews
• Paternal female cousins
• Great-aunts and uncles
• First cousins once removed
• Even descendants of maternal cousins

In simple terms: you no longer have to be on the mother’s side to help. If you’re within four degrees of relation to a missing service member—even on the father’s side—your DNA can now count as a valid Family Reference Sample (FRS).

🧬 Why SNP Technology Matters

SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) testing looks at hundreds of thousands of genetic markers—tiny variations in DNA—that help scientists build more accurate family connections, even across multiple generations.

This modern approach means:

• More distant relatives can be used as references
• Identification is more likely even with degraded or partial remains
• The process is faster and more reliable

In cases like those of the 85 USS Arizona unknowns buried in commingled graves, where remains are mixed together and degraded by time and environmental factors, SNP testing is a game-changer.

🧭 What Is FIGG and How Will It Help?

AFDIL is also working on implementing Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG)—a method similar to what private companies like 23andMe or Ancestry use to trace long-lost relatives through large databases of DNA.

AFDIL is building a SNP-based pipeline that can be used when traditional identification methods don’t work. If no direct family match is found using mtDNA or STR, the lab can turn to FIGG to build a family tree from DNA alone and help identify potential living relatives who can donate a sample.

This method has already proven successful in private forensic cases—and now it’s being developed for use with unidentified World War II and Korean War service members.

Above shows the original chart Operation 85 had been using since April of 2023 which disregarded family relationships such as Paternal Nieces and others. The second chart, released in early 2025 with FIGG SNP technology allows many more family members to be considered as viable Family Reference Samples (FRS) when trying to match and identify unknown service members.

🗂️ Casualty Offices Are On Board

One concern Operation 85 had early on was whether the various casualty offices (Navy, Marine Corps, Army, etc.) would accept these new types of DNA submissions from family members who wouldn’t have been eligible before.

We’re happy to report that yes—they’ve been notified. According to AFDIL, all casualty offices have been updated and provided with a new Family Relationship DNA chart showing which relationships are now valid under the expanded SNP criteria.

This means no more confusion, no more rejections of paternal-side references, and no more delays in moving forward with disinterments and identifications.

🧱 Redundancy Still Matters

Even though SNP testing is more powerful, AFDIL still recommends gathering at least two maternal and two paternal DNA samples per missing service member whenever possible. Why?

Because family trees aren’t always as neat as they look. There are “non-paternity events” (where the assumed father isn’t the biological father) and other surprises that can throw off analysis. Having multiple references provides a stronger and more reliable foundation for identification.

Additionally, AFDIL still uses other lineage markers like mtDNA (from the mother’s line) and Y-STR (from the father’s line) to help sort remains and confirm distant relationships—especially in large, commingled cases like the USS Arizona.

📉 From “Impractical” to Possible

What makes this announcement even more meaningful is the context.

Back in 2022, the Navy claimed it would take $2.9 million, 10 years, and over 12,000 man hours just to locate DNA references for the Arizona’s 85 unknowns—calling it “impractical.” Operation 85 was told the effort wasn’t worth it. Worse, one suggestion was to simply collect the remains, place them in a box, and reinter them in the ship’s hull.

We refused to accept that.

Instead, we launched Operation 85 with one goal: find the families and get their DNA samples submitted. We did this:

• Without government funding
• With just a handful of volunteers
• For under $70,000 in out-of-pocket costs

As of early 2025, we’ve raised the number of viable DNA references from just 18 to 592—with only 51 left to reach the Department of Defense’s minimum threshold to begin identification.

📣 A Win for Advocacy

Make no mistake: this change didn’t happen on its own.

Operation 85—and other dedicated family organizations—have been calling for the use of SNP and FIGG technology for years. We’ve written, spoken, lobbied, and kept the pressure on. Now, in 2025, we’re seeing real change.

We’re encouraged that AFDIL has listened. Their use of SNP and extended kinship analysis shows a renewed willingness to meet the challenges of identifying historical remains with the tools today’s science makes possible.

🧩 What Happens Next?

• We keep pushing to find the final 51 families.
• We work with the casualty offices to submit eligible DNA samples.
• We educate families so they know they can still help—even if they thought they weren’t eligible before.
• We monitor AFDIL and DPAA’s follow-through as they begin using this technology in real-world identifications.

🙏 Thank You for Your Support

Every step forward is thanks to your donations, your DNA samples, and your advocacy. If you are related to a USS Arizona crew member—especially if you’re on the paternal side—please reach out. You may now be eligible to help complete this mission.

If you know someone who may be related, tell them to get in touch.

We’re closer than ever. The science is here. The families are stepping up. And now, finally, the lab is catching up.

Together, we can bring them home.

—
Operation 85 Team
Learn more or submit your DNA at: www.USSArizona.navy